XENCE Certified as Nagoya University Venture. Driving the Construction Industry Towards "Generative Contracts" with Digital Design & Construction and Unused Timber
XENCE has been certified as a Nagoya University Venture. The startup aims to transform the construction industry towards a circular economy by leveraging digital technologies and unused timber, proposing a new concept called "Generative Contracts" to create more sustainable and efficient building processes.
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- 📰 Published: April 7, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 10:30
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Certified as Nagoya University Venture
株式会社XENCE (XENCE Inc.) (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, CEO: Kotaro Ozawa, hereinafter referred to as "XENCE") has been awarded the title of "Nagoya University Venture" by Nagoya University.
XENCE is a startup aiming for the construction industry rooted in the circular economy by expanding the possibilities of materials and designs used in architecture, utilizing parametric automated design and digital fabrication technology.
Towards "Generative Contracts" in the Construction Industry
The traditional construction industry, with its multi-layered subcontracting structure, is prone to fragmentation in design, procurement, construction, and maintenance, leading to challenges such as rising construction costs and decreased resource utilization efficiency across the entire supply chain.
XENCE's proposed "Generative Contract" is a concept for a digital technology-based construction process and supply chain that organically connects clients, material suppliers, designers, and constructors through digital technology to realize more rational and sustainable construction.
We aim to transform the conventional one-way order and construction structure into a new construction process that dynamically updates optimal solutions by sharing information and data related to material procurement, design, construction, and operation with clients, material suppliers, and design/construction companies using digital technology.
XENCE's core is a dynamic design and construction platform using digital technology
At the core of this concept is an automated and parametric design-to-construction-to-operation model built using digital tools, programming, AI, and more.
XENCE is developing a dynamic design platform that visualizes not only design but also cost, environmental impact, material usage, and construction conditions simultaneously, allowing them to be adjusted according to objectives. This enables a new architectural decision-making process that handles aesthetics, performance, economy, and environment without fragmentation.
Furthermore, by connecting digital fabrication technologies such as NC processing and 3D printing, we are implementing an integrated construction process from design to production and construction.
Achievement 1: "Circular Wooden Greenhouse" Utilizing Unused Timber
Last year, as one of our pilot projects, we released the "Circular Wooden Greenhouse™". This product received the "Good Design Award," "Wood Design Award," and "Wood Utilization Competition" last year.
In this project, we realized a greenhouse by developing a wooden structural module that makes previously underutilized timber from sawmills usable. This initiative positions unused timber as a new construction resource, converting locally available resources into higher value while balancing performance and productivity.
■About the Circular Wooden Greenhouse™ | WEB here: https://xencegroup.com/greenhouse
Achievement 2: Metal 3D Printed Joint Technology "wood x node"
Additionally, XENCE, in collaboration with Takenaka Corporation and Shimo-da Flange, has announced "wood x node".
In this project, we explored the usability of metal 3D printers, which are highly compatible with mass customization, for architectural joints. We presented new possibilities for joint parts that support wooden structures of various shapes. By increasing the freedom of joints in architecture, we aim to realize wooden buildings that can accommodate a wider range of shapes and conditions than before.
Wood X Node about | PR TIMES: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000003.000123873.html
Increasing Demand for Circularity and Decarbonization in Construction, Primarily in Europe
Currently, particularly in Europe, regulations and market demands concerning the circular economy and embodied carbon reduction in the construction sector are advancing. As the environmental performance of buildings becomes linked to material procurement, investment decisions, and economic activities including carbon credits, the need to meticulously manage resource utilization and environmental impact from the design stage will continue to grow.
XENCE is responding to these global trends by promoting innovation in technologies and business models that optimize the construction industry, with an eye on overseas projects as well as domestic Japanese ones.
Future Developments
Going forward, we plan to expand our business domain not only to the development and implementation of wooden structural modules but also to standardized modular buildings and medium-to-large scale wooden structures.
With a management philosophy of designing the construction industry's supply chain and creating the landscapes of the future, not just architectural design and construction, XENCE aims to build a new industrial foundation that simultaneously resolves structural inefficiencies in the construction industry and valorizes unused resources, focusing on technology and business models.
Triggered by this recognition as a Nagoya University Venture, XENCE will further accelerate the cycle of research and development and social implementation, and introduce new mechanisms to the society that reconnect the design, procurement, construction, and operation of buildings.
Company Profile
Company Name: 株式会社XENCE (XENCE Inc.)
Representative: CEO Kotaro Ozawa
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Established: February 2022
Business Description: Aiming to implement a circular economy in the construction industry by expanding architecture's materials, design, and production processes using digital tools, programming, AI, etc. Promoting the utilization of unused timber, development of wooden structural modules, joint development using 3D printing technology, and digitalization/optimization of the design-build process.
URL: 【Official Website】https://xencegroup.com/
Contact Information
XENCE Inc. Public Relations/Inquiries
E-mail: info@xencegroup.com
Web: https://xencegroup.com/contact
株式会社XENCE (XENCE Inc.) (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, CEO: Kotaro Ozawa, hereinafter referred to as "XENCE") has been awarded the title of "Nagoya University Venture" by Nagoya University.
XENCE is a startup aiming for the construction industry rooted in the circular economy by expanding the possibilities of materials and designs used in architecture, utilizing parametric automated design and digital fabrication technology.
Towards "Generative Contracts" in the Construction Industry
The traditional construction industry, with its multi-layered subcontracting structure, is prone to fragmentation in design, procurement, construction, and maintenance, leading to challenges such as rising construction costs and decreased resource utilization efficiency across the entire supply chain.
XENCE's proposed "Generative Contract" is a concept for a digital technology-based construction process and supply chain that organically connects clients, material suppliers, designers, and constructors through digital technology to realize more rational and sustainable construction.
We aim to transform the conventional one-way order and construction structure into a new construction process that dynamically updates optimal solutions by sharing information and data related to material procurement, design, construction, and operation with clients, material suppliers, and design/construction companies using digital technology.
XENCE's core is a dynamic design and construction platform using digital technology
At the core of this concept is an automated and parametric design-to-construction-to-operation model built using digital tools, programming, AI, and more.
XENCE is developing a dynamic design platform that visualizes not only design but also cost, environmental impact, material usage, and construction conditions simultaneously, allowing them to be adjusted according to objectives. This enables a new architectural decision-making process that handles aesthetics, performance, economy, and environment without fragmentation.
Furthermore, by connecting digital fabrication technologies such as NC processing and 3D printing, we are implementing an integrated construction process from design to production and construction.
Achievement 1: "Circular Wooden Greenhouse" Utilizing Unused Timber
Last year, as one of our pilot projects, we released the "Circular Wooden Greenhouse™". This product received the "Good Design Award," "Wood Design Award," and "Wood Utilization Competition" last year.
In this project, we realized a greenhouse by developing a wooden structural module that makes previously underutilized timber from sawmills usable. This initiative positions unused timber as a new construction resource, converting locally available resources into higher value while balancing performance and productivity.
■About the Circular Wooden Greenhouse™ | WEB here: https://xencegroup.com/greenhouse
Achievement 2: Metal 3D Printed Joint Technology "wood x node"
Additionally, XENCE, in collaboration with Takenaka Corporation and Shimo-da Flange, has announced "wood x node".
In this project, we explored the usability of metal 3D printers, which are highly compatible with mass customization, for architectural joints. We presented new possibilities for joint parts that support wooden structures of various shapes. By increasing the freedom of joints in architecture, we aim to realize wooden buildings that can accommodate a wider range of shapes and conditions than before.
Wood X Node about | PR TIMES: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000003.000123873.html
Increasing Demand for Circularity and Decarbonization in Construction, Primarily in Europe
Currently, particularly in Europe, regulations and market demands concerning the circular economy and embodied carbon reduction in the construction sector are advancing. As the environmental performance of buildings becomes linked to material procurement, investment decisions, and economic activities including carbon credits, the need to meticulously manage resource utilization and environmental impact from the design stage will continue to grow.
XENCE is responding to these global trends by promoting innovation in technologies and business models that optimize the construction industry, with an eye on overseas projects as well as domestic Japanese ones.
Future Developments
Going forward, we plan to expand our business domain not only to the development and implementation of wooden structural modules but also to standardized modular buildings and medium-to-large scale wooden structures.
With a management philosophy of designing the construction industry's supply chain and creating the landscapes of the future, not just architectural design and construction, XENCE aims to build a new industrial foundation that simultaneously resolves structural inefficiencies in the construction industry and valorizes unused resources, focusing on technology and business models.
Triggered by this recognition as a Nagoya University Venture, XENCE will further accelerate the cycle of research and development and social implementation, and introduce new mechanisms to the society that reconnect the design, procurement, construction, and operation of buildings.
Company Profile
Company Name: 株式会社XENCE (XENCE Inc.)
Representative: CEO Kotaro Ozawa
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Established: February 2022
Business Description: Aiming to implement a circular economy in the construction industry by expanding architecture's materials, design, and production processes using digital tools, programming, AI, etc. Promoting the utilization of unused timber, development of wooden structural modules, joint development using 3D printing technology, and digitalization/optimization of the design-build process.
URL: 【Official Website】https://xencegroup.com/
Contact Information
XENCE Inc. Public Relations/Inquiries
E-mail: info@xencegroup.com
Web: https://xencegroup.com/contact